Anyone with 01-04 tacoma get your frame replaced?

according to the people at my toyota dealership, i need to get my frame replaced since there is a small hole due to rust. Just wondering if anyone else in TW had this done....how long did it take, did it cost anything, and is there anything i should know???

 

you should have gotten a letter from toyota explaining everything. it wont cost you anything, try to get a courtesy car.

 

x2. you lucky bastards with the 01-04s get new frames.

 

i wouldn't complain too much... you get 150% of your cars worth

 

My frame passed inspection. Guess hosing the underneath in the winter and wire brushing and painting it in the summer really helped.

I hear that Toyota is coating the frames if they pass but they haven't approved it in my state yet.

 

How long is the warranty for the 01-04's for? Is the 15 years like the 95-2000?

 

This was posted a while back on edmunds

 

Yes to the re-frame,yes to the extended 15 year warranty,yes to taking 11 days and providing a New Prius for that time frame....
We did discuss the other recall for ball joints and this was done also( new LCA's too )....I did have to purchase new shocks ( originals and Toyo would not cover ) BUT the dealer beat my outside price and installed KYB's...
My pictures of my truck are in the Albums section....

Snoope back quiet

p.s.

Do go over EVERYTHING with your service writer,sticky e-brakes can be fixed and if they are close enough ask to watch progress......They arranged it for me to see the cab swap and the final frame prep before assembly...... People wonder why I have owned 14+ Toyotas......DUH

 

well i move in to college on the 21st so i can't really watch progress although i wish i could haha, but i'm glad they'll even replace leaf springs and LCA cuz mine are really rusted so that's big! I'll pretty much just have to go over with them to be careful with my rims, don't mess with the settings on the billys, and hopefully they can make my e-brake a little more functional...

 

also the dealership said they would get me a lender car while the frame work was being done but does the dealership actually give you one of their cars as a lender or do they out source to like Hertz or someone like that? Cuz i'm only 18 and a lot of those rental places you have to be 21 to rent a car....

 

TacomaGus,

My dealer provided the car,they have both rentals and "service loaners"....

Yes to "talking" details with them BEFORE they start.... It helps both of you and with your "bills" life is already easier for them..hardware is new...zip/zip and they are off.no "heat wrench" involved..

Good luck with the "Taco" and re-starting school....

Snoope back quiet

 

thanks for the info snoope!

 

Howdy All,
I've got my 02 Tacoma at the dealewr right now. I was told it would take 3-6 weeks and it has been 8 so far. They were nice enough to give me a Camry for a while but we needed a truck since my wife does garden work. I called them back and they were able to hook us up with Enterprise, no cost to me, for a 2009 Dodge Ram 4X4. It's nice but it ain't the Tacoma.

Also, the dealer had me sign a form giving them permission to charge me up to $250 for nuts and bolts that the "technician/mechanic" would break while transferring parts from the old frame to the new one.
After reading the above "QUOTE" from Ramphonic I am going to have some words with my dealer. They also wanted to replace my front brake pads, caliper pins and charge full labor. This doesn't sound like a labor savings to me!

I called the dealer and they are willing to give me 5% off parts and have only spent $150 in "nuts and bolts". I have been promised the truck twice and they have not delivered on the dates they said. I finally called Toyota Corporate and they will get back to me.

Now mind you, I really like the Tacoma and Toyota products but holy @#@#! This is leaving a bad taste in my mouth. And what gets me is that it appears that other dealers are not charging for this "nuts and bolts" BS. Friends of ours took their Tacoma to another dealer after I did and they have gotten theirs back already and no nut and bolts fee!!!

So the moral of the story, if the dealer tries to get you to pay for the nuts and bolts their mechnic breaks, boohoo on them you should not have to pay and besides, all the "kits" come with the necessary nuts and bolts!!!
I'll let you know what Corporate has to say on the nuts and bolts.
later

 

there was a brand new complete frame sitting in the parts dept. at my local dealer last week when i went in to get filters...i was like . i hadn't heard about the frame swaps till then.

i know it might be a PITA to get them swapped, but big ups to Toyota for doing this. i can't see any of the big three ever doing something like this at no charge.

 

Does doing this show up on your carfax....?

 

man, i'm probably the last of the last dude to hear of this!!!

well, i live in MN right now. i got my truck from TX while in the service. my question is...

can i just take my junk to the stealership and have them look at it?

truck is an '01 Taco Prerunner...underskirt looks pristine!!!......for now at least...

 

I got the frame replacement this past summer. Took about 2 weeks to get the frame shipped in and the crate of parts. Got a free rental from Toyota while it was at the dealership for about 4 days while they did the work. Sits a little higher now and rides a little stiff, but so far no problems. I originally wanted the 150% KBB buyback program similar to the earlier models, but got turned down flat....Toyota wouldn't even negotiate. Didn't get charged for any additional parts or labor and even asked them to give everything a once over while they had it apart and could replace anything that was going bad. You definately wouldn't get this from the Big 3..Good luck

 

ken, how "bad" was your frame?

mines was from Texas, looks clean as hell still, with original stickers and all.

pretty much just asking around to see if its worth for me to send the truck in for an inspection. i just don't trust anyone tamperin with the truck, especially after replacing the oil/lubes with expensive amsoil.

thanks.

 

I had mine in for an oil change and the service mgr said I had holes in the frame back by the rear shocks. I checked it out and there was indeed holes (about the size of a golf ball) close to the weld joints. They advised parking it until a determination was made. Toyotas inspection policy was to do a visual inspection for abnormal rust. If they find something, they're supposed to do a punch test with a hammer to see if it penetrates the metal. If you fail the punch test, you get recommended for a new frame.
I had no interest in frame replacement because of potential issues down the road since a dealership isn't designed to do vehicle assy...I had visions of the transmission falling out or various electrical problems or who knows what else could happen and Toyota wouldn't warranty the reassy process. Nice they covered the new frame, but I was more concerned about the process. Worked out good, though. I think a lot of it is around the dealership and how good they are. I spent an hour with the service tech before and after the process making sure he was tuned in to what was going on. My Tacoma is in excellent shape and the tech says it should be good for another 20 years or so...I dropped a new sunroof in it after the work, so I'm planning on it..Good luck

 

i got a letter about this but it gave a list of states....Im in NC so it didnt effect my truck thank god....but my frame looks new